BSB 2017: Round Ten race report

Oulton Park | 15-17 September

Honda Racing’s second visit to Oulton Park this
season brought a second win for Dan Linfoot, and the team’s success in the
tenth round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship should provide
a boost of confidence going into round two of the three-part Showdown.

The first race of the day was plagued by wet
conditions, but Linfoot showed his class, taking the lead from the start and
increasing his advantage aboard the all-new Fireblade while others behind him
fought for track position. Unfortunately, in the closing stages of the race
Linfoot experienced an engine issue that forced him to retire.

Meanwhile, teammate Jason O’Halloran was able
to steadily made his way through the field from 12th on the grid and
took the chequered flag in tenth.

Another blistering start in race two put
Linfoot in the mix, and he moved into second position. Battling hard throughout
the race with Leon Haslam and Jake Dixon, Linfoot and his rivals traded
top-three positions over the 18 laps before Linfoot made his move in the final
stretch.

“I am absolutely made up with the last race
win,” he said. “The Fireblade has made a huge step forward these last few
rounds, and sometimes I haven’t had the best of luck, but I think that’s
starting to turn now.”

O’Halloran also had a positive ride in the
second race, making the most of the conditions to finish eighth, from an 11th-place
start.

The second of the Showdown rounds will see
the teams head to their one overseas race: at the Netherlands’ TT Circuit Assen
from 29 September to 1 October.

“They both love Assen,” said Honda Team
Racing Manager Havier Beltran, “and if we can continue with this pace, we will
have a fantastic end to the season to finish it all off.”